A Day with Nandu
Class 4 · Environmental Studies
4 ideas in Class 4 Environmental Studies, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Nandu's Daily Needs
Part of: Nandu's day
Nandu's day shows how elephants meet their needs. The herd eats leaves and twigs, visits water, and rests. Water and mud help keep an elephant's skin cool, and flapping its large ears also helps it cool down. A baby elephant stays close to its mother and drinks her milk.
Why it matters. Looking at a day's routine helps children connect an animal's actions to food, rest, comfort and safety. It also shows that young animals depend on adults.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child to name what an elephant eats in the story.
- Talk about why an elephant might go into water and mud on a hot day.
- Invite your child to explain what flapping ears might do for a large animal.
- Compare a baby elephant's needs with an adult elephant's needs.
Try at home. Draw three moments from an elephant's day and label the need met in each one.
Family Roles in an Elephant Herd
Part of: Nandu's day
An elephant herd is mainly made up of females and young elephants. The oldest female leads. A herd may include around ten to twelve females and their young. Male elephants stay with the herd until they are about fourteen or fifteen, then leave and move around alone.
Why it matters. Learning about herd roles helps children understand how animal groups are organised and how growing up can change an animal's place in the group.
Try it in two minutes
- Draw an adult female, a baby elephant and an older male elephant.
- Ask which one leads the herd and which one stays close to its mother.
- Place the older male on a timeline from young to about fifteen years.
- Discuss how the group changes when a male elephant grows older.
Try at home. Make a simple herd diagram and label the leader, young elephants and a male that has grown older.
Moving and Helping Together
Part of: Life together
Animals in a herd often move around together while looking for food. Elephant herd members may spread out to eat in the jungle, then head to the river. Elephants also help each other when one is in trouble and join together to care for or rescue young ones.
Why it matters. Group behaviour can help children see how animals find food and care for young members. It also shows that animals can depend on one another.
Try it in two minutes
- Put three animal picture cards in a group and imagine they are looking for food.
- Ask when the group might spread out and when it might come together again.
- Describe what adults could do if a young animal needed help.
- Compare moving together with travelling alone.
Try at home. Draw an animal group searching for food and helping a young member stay safe.
Animal Feelings and Treatment
Part of: Life together
The chapter invites children to imagine how animals feel when they are chained, kept in a small space or made to perform. Some animals in its examples describe tiredness, pain or sadness. It also shows animals that can roam or receive food from people. These stories encourage children to think about whether animals' needs are being respected.
Why it matters. Children can notice that animals have needs and may feel discomfort. Talking gently about these examples builds care without making fun of animals or their feelings.
Try it in two minutes
- Read one animal's words and ask what feeling it expresses.
- Ask whether the animal can choose where to move or what to do.
- Compare that example with an animal that can roam or receive food.
- Discuss one kind way people can respond to animals' needs.
Try at home. Choose an animal story and draw what the animal might need to feel safe and cared for.
What your child will practise
- Animal Feelings and Treatment: Jungle Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Animal Feelings and Treatment: Space Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Family Roles in an Elephant Herd: Animal Parade Quest (Match It Up)
- Moving and Helping Together: Jungle Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Nandu's Daily Needs: Desert Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Quiz: Animal Feelings and Treatment (8 questions)
- Quiz: Family Roles in an Elephant Herd (8 questions)
- Quiz: Moving and Helping Together (8 questions)
- Quiz: Nandu's Daily Needs (8 questions)